Messi makes the most of family time during international break

Having opted against joining up with the Argentina squad for international duty, Lionel Messi has instead enjoyed spending more time with his family.

The Barcelona attacker decided to take a break from the national side after their round of 16 exit at the World Cup this summer, but has not officially retired yet.

Instead of lining up for games against Guatemala and Colombia, the 31-year-old has instead spent time with his children - five-year-old Thiago, Mateo, who turns three on Wednesday, September 11 and six-month-old Ciro.

On Thursday, Messi posted a photo of himself walking sons Thiago and Mateo to school, with further photos of his son in class.

This was followed by a further snap of Messi, his three children and wife Antonella on a family walk.

Messi has scored 65 times in 128 appearances for his country, making him Argentina's record goalscorer ahead of Gabriel Batistuta on 54 and Sergio Aguero on 39.

Messi's 128 caps puts him third on the all-time list for his country, behind Javier Zanetti's 143 and the 147 accrued by former Barcelona team-mate Javier Mascherano

'We miss him. But we have to let him be, in peace,' interim coach Lionel Scaloni told TyC Sports.

'He has to enjoy his family, his life. We shall see what happens later.

'Once we have a project, a name (for a new permanent manager), we will see what Leo.'

Having previously and then returned in 2016, Messi has left himself open to a future recall, having said in June:  'I don't know. It will depend how we do, how it ends.'

'The fact we've lost three finals now has led to some complicated moments with the Argentine press due to the differences in seeing what it means to reach a final.

'It is not easy and [reaching three finals] has to be appreciated.

'It's true that winning them is important, but getting there is not easy.'

Several international team-mates have spoken out about Messi's international absence.

Team-mate Mauro Icardi said of Messi's absence: 'It's weird, but it's good that Lionel Messi takes a break even if people do not take it well. We talked and tried in training, but I lacked time to find a perfect partnership with him. He is the number one in the world.'

And Ajax star Nicolas Tagliafico said: 'It is rare to come here and that Messi is not with us. 'The most important competition we have is next year (the Copa America), so it's good to get to know new colleagues.'

Independiente striker Max Mesa said: 'He took a well-deserved break, but hopefully he will return soon for the good of us and the one of the squad.

'Messi is a very important player, even beyond football, he took a well deserved break and now we have to wait for his return, he loves Argentina and wants to achieve important things with the team.'